BACKGROUND

Fires that result in a large number of deaths and injuries are quite common in India, presenting many complex emergency management challenges. While significant improvement in disaster management has been noted in recent years, full integration of government emergency management initiatives at the provincial level is still in its infancy. This article presents the findings of a study of a school fire in India that resulted in the deaths of 93 children. The effective provincial level management of this fire, in the absence of a well-defined disaster management plan, was quite encouraging and provides guidance for other disaster managers in the country.

METHODS

The purpose of the study was to analyze the factors leading to the tragedy, the response of the stakeholders, the relief and rehabilitation support provided to the affected families, and the perceptions of the affected parents regarding their level of satisfaction with the management of this disaster. Extensive visits were made to the damaged school, schools where the rescued and evacuated children were relocated, affected households, injured children, various stakeholders and institutions playing a significant role in managing the incident, and nongovernment organizations working in the field. The study methodology included structured interviews to determine the parents' level of satisfaction with the different elements of the response, participant observations, intensive interaction with the members of the affected families, and focused group discussion with different relevant government officials.

RESULTS

The findings indicate a high level of parent and stakeholder satisfaction in the majority of response and relief efforts associated with the disaster. Also reinforced were the importance of adherence to school safety regulations; the role of effective relief and rehabilitation; public-private partnership in disaster management; and the importance of media management, humanitarian assistance during crisis management and response, gender sensitivity in relief and rehabilitation, and services provided to reduce mental health risks for the injured children and families who lost their children in the incident.

CONCLUSIONS

While the participants in the study perceived the management of the disaster as highly satisfactory, several disaster management elements, particularly disaster mental health services, require further attention at all levels.